A fifth baby has joined an endangered pod of killer whales off the coast of British Columbia.
Part of the L pod, the new calf was spotted playing with its mother, twenty year old L91, this Sunday, looking no more than two days old. The calf is the newest addition to the pod since last December, which is a relief to scientists and caretakers at the Center for Whale Research, who were concerned that the toxins in the animals’ bodies may have caused reproductive failure. The new killer whale calf was given the name L122.
Repopulation of Killer Whale Pod is Still A Struggle
Ken Balcom, a senior scientist at the center, commented that many toxins are still accumulating in the ecosystem, as well as the whale’s food supply, and this adds to infections the pods have contracted; only 35 of the 122 born in the L pod are still alive.
In any case, Balcom still retains hope for the repopulation of the species. Things have come a long way since 1976, when the practice of capturing killer whales was halted. However, overall whale nutrition is still lacking, especially in regard to salmon supply. If the center is not able to provide food for the animals, the whales will have a slimmer chance of survival.
Two calves in the southern population died in 2013, and four of them did not survive past seven or eight days. Furthermore, last December, a pregnant orca washed up near Comox, British Columbia, after dying from an infection. This year, researchers are hoping for a baby boom to combat the declining population number.
A Steady Rise in Killer Whale Population?
The count of killer whales must be at at least 120 in order to be removed from the endangered species list, and its trajectory has been a seesaw of rise and decline.
In the 1990s, the count was at 98, but in the summer of 2014, the number slipped to 78 and dropped to 77 with the death of the orca last December. Counting the newborns, the number has reached a healthy 82, but it is still uncertain how the prognosis will fare for the pod.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only 35% to 45% of calves survive past their first year. However, if these five new orcas do, it will mark the first successful batch of newborns in almost two years.
